"Heh..."
"Come, come..."
"Chief Annie, we sincerely offer you a toast! I'll drain my glass first. You can drink as much as you like!"
"Good! The colonel can really hold his liquor!"
"..."
Seated on the ground, raising their cups and drinking together, a large group of UNSC officers who'd come here to eat and drink for free were making a racket, guzzling wine and wolfing down meat in this camp of steel, formed from Geth cruisers, frigates, transport ships, and other vessels.
The UNSC officers' delegation, led by Colonel Holland, was extremely pleased with this unconventional reception from the Hero Federation and its young chief!
Sure, the little chief was a bit stingy. Sure, all the food they were eating had been hastily hunted down for them by Noble Team's third sniper. And sure, many of them had to sit on the grass, even getting the backsides of their beautiful white officer uniforms dirty... But no matter what, they certainly wouldn't dare complain. So every one of them wore a bright, beaming smile, and they did their utmost to flatter and praise a certain little girl.
But after a few rounds of drinks and several courses of meat, Colonel Holland finally couldn't hold back any longer. He seized a suitable opportunity and cautiously brought up the words they'd been holding in for so long.
"!!"
(′Д)
"Eh? What did you just say? You want to... to form an alliance?!"
=(*)
Little Annie had been eating when she heard Colonel Holland—the man at the head of the group, dressed in the same white UNSC Navy officer's uniform—say that, and she couldn't help staring at him in surprise.
Actually, Annie had been on her guard from the very start, when these strangers kept making insincere-sounding compliments. After all, not only had